Weekly First-aid Topic: Beware of scratches and bites when touching pets
From:Beijing Municipal Health Commission
Date:03/14/2022

Recently, the dispatch and command center of the Beijing Emergency Center received a call from an anxious gentleman. His child was bitten by a husky. After further inquiries by the dispatcher, it was learned that a 6-year-old girl was bitten and there were wounds around her neck and eyelids. Afterwards, the ambulance transported the patient to the receiving hospital.

Here are some tips from 120. Cats and dogs are cute, but after all, they do not know our language. A "slight disagreement" will inevitably irritate them. Since children are small, it is more likely for them to cause "misunderstanding" and lead to injury. Children should keep distance from familiar cats and dogs and stay away from unfamiliar ones. Small animals are highly vigilant, wild and aggressive, and are easily scratch or bite people who have close contact with them. If the skin is damaged, the wound should be handled carefully. It is necessary to wash the wound with soapy water and running water for about 15 minutes, use sterile gauze or absorbent cotton to absorb the residual fluid in the wound, and finally clean the inside of the wound with dilute iodophor or other medical preparations. The patient should go to the hospital for rabies vaccine as soon as possible. If necessary, tetanus shots and passive immune preparations should be injected.